I'm Walking on Sunshine
by lovelylouis
Summary: Parvati loves the sun; it's beautiful and all consuming. / QL S5, R4


**All prompts posted below. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Title taken from Katrina and the Waves.**

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 **I'm Walking on Sunshine**

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Sunlight pours in through her open window along with a calming and refreshing breeze. The birds come alive under the sun, chirping and dancing around in the trees, and so does she. She stands, strong and tall, in front of the window with open arms, absorbing every speck of light and heat she can.

Mornings have always been her favorite time of the day. There's nothing in the world like feeling the sun on your skin and knowing you exist. Or, better yet, _forgetting_ all of your troubles, even if it's only for moment, and simply breathing in the gift of life.

The shrill of her alarm clock brings her back to reality. With great reluctance, she shuts the window and pulls the pink curtains back into place. She hates the way her room looks now. Her baby pink bed, her pastel blue walls, and her lilac furniture look dull and washed out.

A soft tap at her door is the reminder that breakfast is ready and that her parents are waiting. Dread pools in her stomach.

It's not that she _hates_ her parents; it's the suffocating atmosphere of her house that she hates. Every step she takes in the dim hallways and poorly lit rooms has her grinding her teeth.

"You're late." Her father makes a displeasing noise when she walks into the dining room. "Breakfast is served at a specific time and you're expected to be here."

"Yes, sir," Parvati replies automatically, taking her seat next to Padma. Her sister shoots her an exasperated look, smiling softly at their father's strict schedule. She tries to smile back, but she isn't sure if it looks real or not.

"You know your mother has to eat at certain times," her father continues, glancing at Mrs. Patil who looks vacantly off into the distance. Parvati resists the urge to speak back. Of course, it's not that her mom has to eat at certain times, but it's her _pills_ that follow a time. "Don't let this be a pattern."

They eat in a silence so uncomfortable she has the urge to scream if only to hear some noise besides the scraping of forks against the plates. Like a prayer from above, the doorbell rings, and she's up in a flash.

"I'll get it." Her feet cannot move any faster in the direction of the front door—in the direction farthest away from her parents and sister.

"Watch the light."

Parvati mumbles a hurried _yes, sir_ before she opens the door happily. She grins, feeling the sun's loving touch on her already sun kissed skin. To her disappointment, only a package is left on the doorstep. There's no postman to make small talk with in order to prolong her inevitable presence back into the dark house.

She picks up the parcel and makes her way back. Padma's name is written in neat writing on top of the box.

Her father glances at the parcel in her hand. "Who is it for?"

"Padma," Parvati answers, shooting her sister a questioning look.

"You got a package for _me_?" Padma asks baffled, her hands reach for the package regardless.

She shrugs, taking her seat again and picking up her fork.

"Oh, Merlin," Padma shrieks, standing up abruptly, jostling Parvati next to her. "I won! I actually won."

"Won what?"

"The scholarship," Padma says in awe. She hands the letter for their father to read. Padma takes out a small box and opens it. Inside is a key—a Gringotts key—that she touches gently. "It's my key to the vault I've won."

Parvati laughs, her mood lifting. "Congratulations, Pad. You definitely deserve it, if all the trips to the library mean something."

Parma tries to glare at her but even she can't stop smiling.

"Don't mock your sister," their father snaps, handing the letter back to Padma. He beams and praises Padma's brains and how he couldn't be prouder to have raised such a _smart_ daughter. Parvati's fine with that because her sister really did earn it, and she's happy for her.

But then he brings her to the conversation and _she is not okay_.

"Well, what have _you_ done?" His voice is all sharp and daggers. "Padma has won _another_ scholarship, and you've won nothing. I was afraid this would happen since you were sorted into _Gryffindor_ instead of Ravenclaw. Bravery at the cost of stupidity."

Parvati shrinks back in her chair, avoiding the hand that reaches under the table to comfort her. This isn't the first she's hearing this. She practically has the lecture memorized.

(It's the same one Parvati repeats to herself in front of the mirror.)

"You care more about fashion and makeup than your studies. Those things are _worthless_. You've managed to pull some good O.W.L.S in for Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Divination doesn't matter; it's hardly a subject worth learning. Padma has the right mindset. She's looking towards her future, even in bleak days such as these. I have half a mind to not let you two return."

Parvati looks up, blood leaving her face. Anything but that. She _has_ to go back to Hogwarts. Anything to escape this drag house. She needs the light; she needs the sun.

"You can't," Parvati cries, she's standing before she knows it. Her hands bang on the table causing the plates and glasses to shake. "I-We _have_ to go back."

"Be careful," Padma hisses, quickly standing up and cleaning the spilled drinks. Their mother makes no comment as Padma frantically rushes to her side to swipe the orange juice threatening to spill onto her dress.

"Excuse me?"

"We have to go back." She slowly brings her arms by her side. "Hogwarts is safe. We won't be in danger."

Her father sighs, the constant crease in his brow disappearing for a moment.

"Besides, Father, we need those grades for the future—for a job. Oh! _Padma_ needs to finish Hogwarts in order to receive the money for the scholarship. Hogwarts is _necessary._ For both of us."

"I suppose," her father finally relents, heavy sigh burdening his shoulders. "Padma and I need to go deal with Gringotts. Just . . . help your mother with her medicine."

He walks out of the room, and the air rushes back into her lungs. Padma hugs her briefly, their hearts beat in unison. "Don't mind him. Ever since . . . well, you know," she trails off, squeezing before trailing after their father.

She can already feel the rays of the beautiful, burning sun on her skin as she'd lay in the grass in the grounds of Hogwarts; feel the grass scratching her legs until she's itchy; feel the gentle breeze of the wind rustling her hair to the point where Lavender teases her about it.

Parvati smiles as she grabs a water bottle from the refrigerator and the bottle of pills from the cabinet. She breaks it down to make it more easily swallowed.

"Here is your medicine," Parvati speaks gently, lifting the bottle with the crushes medicine to her mother's lips.

Before it reaches her lips, her mother brings her gaze towards Parvati. The usually dazed look in her eye is focused.

"Feel the sun for me at Hogwarts," she says, voice hoarse because of the lack of use. Her mother gently places a hand on Parvati's cheeks, caressing it softly. "I miss it."

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 _W_ _ritten for The Quidditch League Competition._

 **Round 4:** Write about a Forgotten Family.

 **Holyhead Harpies, Chaser 3:** The Patil family

 **Optional Prompts:** 15\. [Phobia] Heliophobia,10. [Dialogue] "You got a package for me?", 9. [Scenario] Character winning a sum of money.

 **N:** The Heliophobia is heavily implied and there are heavy allusions to it. I wanted to try and have it be a focus while not explicitly stating it. It's what made Parvati like the sun so much. Their mother suffers from it because of an incident in the past; it also causes her to suffer from depression and, quite frankly, space out.

Set before Sixth Year.

Canon: The twins' parents were thinking of pulling them from Hogwarts before 6th year; Parvati managed to convince them not to—how she did is not listed.

Big thanks to my lovely team for beta'ing.

 **Word count:** 1,223


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